SPARLAND - A military veteran from Chillicothe died from injuries suffered when he jumped from a moving vehicle on Illinois Route 29 on Friday afternoon in southern Marshall County, authorities said.

Zachary L. Crawford, 26, died from blunt force injuries at the scene of the incident, which occurred about 3:30 p.m. just north of Hopewell Estates, said Coroner David Lenz Jr.

Crawford had been a passenger in a vehicle driven by a relative when he jumped out after "a brief verbal exchange with the driver," Sheriff Rob Russell said in a news release. He was not struck by a vehicle but appeared to have landed on his head, the sheriff said.

Russell declined to identify the driver more specifically in a later interview, citing the continuing investigation. But he emphasized that witness accounts made it clear that Crawford had jumped out and that no foul play was involved.

"One of the witnesses behind them was an off-duty Indiana officer who saw what happened," Russell said.

Lenz said he had learned from family members that Crawford was a veteran. But he said that confidentiality standards prevented him from providing further information at this point.

Gary L. Smith can be reached at (800) 516-0389 or glsmith@mtco.com. Read his Northern Circuit blog at pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Glsmithx.